Galatians 3:16
16Now to Abraham and his Seed were the promises made. He does not say, “And to seeds,” as of many, but as of one, “and to your seed,” who is Christ.
Truth to Learn
Faith in Jesus, and Jesus alone, is the means of God’s blessing.
Behind the Words
The Greek word translated “seed” is “spermati” from which we get our English word sperm. In this instance, it is a singular noun. Later in the verse the word appears in the plural, “spermasin” and is translated “seeds.” This word can refer to a seed that is planted in the ground or it can refer to a person’s posterity, his descendents. The problem is that neither the Greek word for “seed” nor the Hebrew equivalent of this word, “zera’” is found in the plural anywhere in the Bible when referring to a person’s posterity, except in this passage.
So, why does Paul go to an extreme like this to claim the promise to Abraham was to a single person when in natural language it could refer to all of his descendents? Many Biblical scholars, throughout the centuries, have wondered about this, and opponents of Biblical inspiration and inerrancy have used this verse to try to prove their point. The difficulty of defending Paul’s use of the singular to refer only to Christ has caused at least one expositor to say:
“Perhaps the following remarks may show that there is real force and propriety in the position which the apostle takes here. If not, then I confess my inability to explain the passage.”
Meaning Explained
Paul is referencing a passage in the book of Genesis where God spoke to Abraham after seeing that he (Abraham) was willing to sacrifice his promised son, Isaac, in obedience to God’s word:
Genesis 22:18 18In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.
Paul’s thesis is that the singular use of the word “seed” was intentionally referring to a single person, Jesus Christ. Had God intended “seed” to refer to Abraham’s posterity it would have included all the descendents of Abraham including Isaac, Ishmael, and all the children of his second wife, Ketura. But, the blessing of Abraham is conferred on all those who believe God’s promise of a single redeemer, as Paul pointed out in:
Galatians 3:9 9So then those who are of faith are blessed with believing Abraham.
Today, those who believe God’s Word and His promise of eternal life receive God’s blessing. That is, they are accounted as righteous, not because they have earned it in any way, but because they believe in Abraham’s seed, the son of David, the root of Jesse, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, Jesus the Christ, the Son of the Living God!
To the Galatians Christians, who were fooled into believing that they also had to keep the Law of Moses to be completely saved, Paul could not have made it any clearer.
So What?
Now, I ask you, “Who do you say Jesus is?”
In God’s service, for His glory,
Copyright © 2007 Will Krause. All rights reserved.